setback this afternoon over social security spending. senate minority leader mitch mcconnell says he never received a response to a republican offer last night and is reaching out to vice president joe biden to kickstart negotiations with the white house at this point. the senator saying fail to go solved the crisis is simply not an option. >> the consequences of this are too high for american people to be engaged in a political messaging campaign. there's no single issue that remains an impossible sticking point. the sticking point appears to be a willingness and interest or frankly the courage to close the deal. i want everyone to know i'm willing to get this done. but i need a dance partner. >> a dance partner. meanwhile democrats being led by senate majority leader harry reid who says he's cautiously optimistic about reaching a deal but warns there's not much more negotiating that can be done on his end. >> i don't have a counter offer to make. perhaps the day wears on, i will ble to. i will say that i think that the republican leader has shown good faith. it's just we're apart on pret

emmanuel has more. mike, you just got new details 23r* mitch mcconnell. what are they? >> that's right. discussions have been taking place all day. both sides have been trading paper, ideas and that talks continue. we understand legislative staff will continue working into this evening. meanwhile, huer is a fair and balanced look at where things stand. >> i do think that something will happen over the next few days relative to the revenue piece. hopefully we can rescue most americans from a tax increase. but what we haven't dealt with again is the spending component. jay we just can't afford -- >> we just can't afford a politically self-inflicted wound to our economy. keeping it that way means folks you sent to washington have to do their jobs. the housing market is healing, but that could stall as folks are seeing smaller paychecks. >> with time running out, it sounds like conservatives may have to fight spending when raising the debt ceiling is the new fight in the new year. harris? >> mike, democrats say they know they need republican help to get this through. they are countin

, lawmakers can find a solution. today the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell said there is still time to work out a deal. however, there is no firm evidence of any real plan. here is what we do know tonight. president obama cutting his vacation short arriving back in washington today. house lawmakers announcing late today they are now planning to return on sunday. but listen to the rhetoric. and you have to question whether that will do any good because near early everything that is coming out of d.c. is about blame. not answers. >> speaker boehner should call members of the house back to washington today. he shouldn't have let them go in fact. they are not here. they are not here. john boehner seems to care more about keeping his speakership than about keeping the nation on firm financial footing. >> harris: a spokesman for john boehner fired back "senator reid should talk less and legislate more." and senate minority leader mcconnell saying we should have worked all this out months ago. >> and republicans aren't about to write a blank check or anything senate democrats put forward just

president basically told john boehner and mitch mcconnell the republican leaders in the room here for this meeting that he wants an up or down vote on his scaled back bill to try to avoid this fiscal cliff. and he basically turned on them and said so what's your response? what's your move? the next move is yours. and then i'm told that mitch mcconnell and harry reid, the democratic leader in the senate jumped in before john boehner really got a chance to fully respond and say, look, we will take the ball and try to pass a bipartisan bill in the senate. the president responded by saying i will give you a day or two but we're running out of time. if you don't get it done in the senate. i want an up or down vote. then he came out and addressed reporters in the briefing room it is clear that the president is only cautiously optimistic that this is going to take a look. take a listen. >> it if there are disagreements they sort through the disagreements. the notion that our elected leadership can't do the same thing is mind boggling to them. it needs to stop. i'm moderately optimistic that an ag